‘Well, He Can Say That!’ CNN Immediately Fact-Checks Trump Complaining Gag Order Means He Can’t Defend Himself

Ever since the first gag order against him, former President Donald Trump has complained that his freedom to speak is being taken away from him. CNN’s Daniel Dale provided a post-court fact-check on what exactly Trump is barred from speaking about in public.

When Trump emerged from the second day of his hush money trial, he presented a stack of papers that he claimed were articles trashing the trial that he believed should be entered into evidence. Not being able to do that was, according to Trump, an example of him being gagged. But mostly, he complained that because of the gag order, he wasn’t able to defend himself when others made public comments about him, something he has posted about on Truth Social.

Dale said that was not accurate:

Yeah. Kaitlan, he perpetually makes the gag order sound like it gags him more than it actually does. So, I don’t know what was in those specific articles, but he said he had an article saying this case is a sham, it shouldn’t have been brought, and he’s not sure if he could even say that.

Well, he can say that. That is clearly not prohibited by the gag order. I have the text of the gag order in front of me.

What it does, Kaitlan, is bar him from three specific kinds of speech. Number one is speaking publicly or directing others to speak publicly about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses in the case, specifically about their potential participation in the case.

Number two is speaking publicly, directing others to speak publicly about prosecutors other than DA Alvin Bragg, about staff members in Bragg’s office and the court, and the family members of prosecutors, staff members of the court. And it qualifies that if those statements are made with the intent to material interfere with the case.

And then, number three, he’s barred from speaking publicly about or directing others to speak publicly about jurors or prospective jurors.

So if he just wants to say “this case is a sham,” as he has pretty much every time he’s appeared before those cameras, he’s perfectly allowed to. He’s not barred.

Watch the video above via CNN.